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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a document
  3. drill — army training
  4. current — electric
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. last — finally
  7. file — a tool
  8. march — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. current — of water
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. branch — a division
  16. last — to go on
  17. march — the month
  18. file — a line of people
  19. last — final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. march — the month
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com